Guest Post by Walter E. Williams
Gun control did not become politically acceptable until the Gun Control Act of 1968 signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The law’s primary focus was to regulate commerce in firearms by prohibiting interstate firearms transfers except among licensed manufacturers, dealers and importers. Today’s gun control advocates have gone much further, calling for an outright ban of what they call assault rifles such as the AR-15. By the way, AR stands for ArmaLite Rifle, which is manufactured by Colt Manufacturing Co. As for being a military assault weapon, our soldiers would be laughed off the battlefield carrying AR-15s.
Let’s look at some FBI statistics on homicide and then you can decide how many homicides would be prevented by a ban on rifles. The FBI lists murder victims by weapon from 2014 to 2018 in their 2018 report on Crime in the United States. It turns out that slightly over 2% (297) out of a total of 14,123 homicides were committed with rifles. A total of 1,515 or 11% of homicides were committed by knives. Four hundred and forty-three people were murdered with a hammer, club or some other bludgeoning instrument. Six hundred seventy-two people were murdered by a hand, foot or fist. Handguns accounted for the most murders — 6,603.
What these statistics point out clearly is that the so-called assault weapons ban and mandatory buyback plan that 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke and others call for, will do little or nothing to bring down homicides. More homicides could be prevented by advocating for knife control, hammer control and feet and fist control.
Gun controllers’ belief that “easy” gun availability is our problem ignores U.S. history. Guns were far more readily available yesteryear. One could mail order a gun from Sears or walk into a hardware store or a pawnshop to make a purchase. With truly easy gun availability throughout our history, there was nowhere near the mayhem and mass murder that we see today. Here’s my question to all those who want restrictions placed on gun sales: Were the firearms of yesteryear better behaved than those same firearms are today? That’s really a silly question; guns are inanimate objects and have no capacity to act. Our problem is a widespread decline in moral values that has nothing to do with guns. That decline includes disrespect for those in authority, disrespect for oneself, little accountability for anti-social behavior and a scuttling of religious teachings that reinforce moral values.
Let’s examine some elements of this decline.
If any American who passed away before 1960 were to return to today’s America, they would not believe the kind of personal behavior acceptable today. They wouldn’t believe that youngsters could get away with cursing at and assaulting teachers. They wouldn’t believe that cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis and Baltimore hire hundreds of school police officers and that in some schools, students must go through metal detectors. During my own primary and secondary schooling in Philadelphia, from 1942 to 1954, the only time we saw a policeman in school was during an assembly period where we had to listen to a boring lecture from Officer Friendly on safety. Our ancestors also wouldn’t believe that we’re now debating whether teachers should be armed.
Americans who call for stricter and stricter gun control know that getting rid of rifles will do little or nothing for the nation’s homicide rate. Their calls for more restrictive gun laws are part of a larger strategy to outlaw gun ownership altogether. You have to wonder what these people have in store for us when they’ve eliminated our means to defend ourselves.
Venezuela dictator Nicolas Maduro banned private gun ownership in 2012. The result is that Venezuelans had no way to protect themselves from criminals and government troops who preyed upon them. After Fidel Castro’s demand for gun confiscation, he said, “Armas para que?” (“Guns, for what?”) Cubans later found out.
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I grew up in the 60’s and my teachers were armed…with a great big wooden paddle. And the were not afraid to use it.
In Jr. High, the shop teacher was also a baseball coach and he would take broken bats, plane the shaft/barrel down to 3/8″, leaving about 6″ of handle and 12″ of paddle. If he drilled holes in them, they would whistle as they neared the target, the gluteal sulcus (underside of the butt). The whistling sound only served to intensify the smack on the butt.
All of the male teachers had them on display and used them with great technique. I think they all compared notes on the best way to use them for maximum effect.
Needless to say, we had a tremendous amount of respect for the rules and those who enforced said rules. Later, in high school, we all brought our shotguns to school so we could hit the field for a dove/quail hunt before the sun went down. Most of the vehicles were not even locked and not a single shooting occurred at our school.
You forgot to mention the good-times IEDs you guys used to blow up in the woods.
You remember, the stuff you used to make out of crushed up bottle rockets and all the live shotgun shells you found littering the sand pits and trails.
Never got around to doing any of that, but did have some fun with some really big fireworks, before they were taken off the market to “protect us” from ourselves.
“You have to wonder what these people have in store for us when they’ve eliminated our means to defend ourselves.”
I’m under absolutely no illusion what’s in store. Beat-O let the cat out of the bag and confirmed what everyone already suspected. The bullies will tax you, and if you can’t pay the taxes, they will justify confiscation of property without due process which will then be assessed at less than market value. It assures they can take more of your stuff at a higher possible profit for them, adding insult to injury.
Then, you’re financially ruined. If you complain, they simply jail you, put you in a mental ward, or kill you. It was never about being fair, it’s about material wealth and power – for them.
Owning guns is a last-ditch insurance policy reminding the bullies that, after all is said and done, they really do bleed like everyone else.
e.d. ott,
Exactly, imagine how the left will treat us when we are unarmed…. They are going after Trump because of what he represents to them. They will come after us with the same only worse..jmho
There seems to be a day coming that many, drunk with power, will need to see their own blood, in order for them to understand they bleed too. That they are the bully and will need to be taught a stern lesson. It is unfortunate they are too drunk to realize this. It will just take the right over drunk one to set it in motion.
History shows the same party in charge rarely stays in power for 3 terms. It is inevitable the dems will win the presidency in 2024 but no later than 2028. Then, these drunkards will make their move.
Perfect Quote
Those most outspoken about protecting our Second Amendment rights will ultimately be the ones who order confiscation.
The coming Sovietization of AmeriKa.
This just in. Not much way to verify it but I do hope it’s true. President Trump is No Longer Supporting Gun Control
A meaningless gesture, even if totally true.
He certainly seems to be slipping in his duty on protecting the second. He stated several times the dems blew it on the red flag laws when they pursued impeachment instead. He was ready to capitulate on red flag laws and seems upset he did not get to further it along. Scary to say the least.
Trump is an opportunist; he has no agenda or ideology. When it’s in his interest to defend the Second Amendment, he will. But when it’s in his interest to confiscate your guns, he will!
Of course, we don’t have a gun problem; we have a negro problem. Half of those 14,000 homicides were committed by your friendly North American Pavement Ape ?
More than half actually.
We have a city problem actually, were like 80% of shootings occur.
About 3 dozen zip codes account for almost 1/2 of all murders. They are all run by dems and have been for at least 2 generations.
Weto Beto
People have to realize the root cause of all that has transpired. It is from the same people that want to take your guns.It is “Liberal Progressive Policies” Create the problem,wait for the reaction,rush in with the solution. I tried to warn people 30+ years ago.If you don’t get a handle on what these people are doing. You will be sorry. They are sorry now,because the hour is getting late.
Sure, a bargain $399 AR15 is a joke compared to military issue.
(however)
A military issue AR15 is a joke compared to a well customized $2,000 “civilian” AR15.
(and)
A typical government issued solider also is a joke compared to a motivated “civilian” insurgent during spicy time.
We have seen a lot of motivated civilians in the sandbox who have become formidable foes.
Humans are a violent species. We have more gun deaths and mass shootings today because the population has grown.
Guns protect responsible people. Administrative law protects criminals that should be put down.
Take the guns away and responsible people can’t protect themselves. Remove the color of administrative law in the justice system and we would have a much safer society. Common sense shows that common law is a much better way to govern society. The color of common law is contained in our constitution. Administrative law is a friend of the criminal.
“Give me Liberty of give me Death”. Liberty is inherent in constitutional law while Death is guaranteed in administrative law.
13 do 50
It’s not a problem with humans.
Tbird – murder rates are down substantially.
I disagree. Almost everyone I knew in high school had at least one firearm and not a single murder was committed over my 3 years of school in the whole county. We have lost our moral compass, as a society, especially those who are totally dependent on the government for their very being. Throw in the violence that young people are subject to through the media and the psychotropic drugs too many of them are prescribed and you have the makings of lots of violence with and without the use of firearms.
They want the rifles so they can fuck us, that simple. That is the problem they need to solve.
Everything else is just hot air.
Like impeachment.
That’s not how they operate. First, they will pick you up on some petty misdemeanor you wouldn’t throw down over. Once you’re behind bars they will bring out the heavy charges. They will only lead with heavy charges when they have to.
And if they want your guns, they will come when you’re not home. When you return a copy of the warrant & a list of what was taken will be attached to your front door. Unless it’s an arrest warrant, they would rather not see you.
We never should have dropped the concept of a state militia. This was a safeguard against Federal Abuse of power. The National guard is not the same concept at all.
Don’t give them ideas; they might deploy state militias to round up firearms. Talk about ironic!
The national shame for Americans is that, living in a constitutional republic, there are enough left-tards among us that pine for our weapons to be taken away-in spite of their geopolitical heritage. Do these media fed idiots believe that our government would eventually do any less than the murderous governments that have in the past disarmed their citizens? “A man that won’t provide (even protection) for his family is worse than the heathen”. I have no respect for the totalitarian creepers that would trade away their liberties, their own and their families ability to defend themselves and their own ability to protect their own rights for the sake of appearing mainstream, politically correct or with-it in their peer group. Which is why my peer group can’t stand their peer group.